The following links will open up product-specific FAQ pages:
Punch! Home Design Architectural Series 3000 FAQ
Punch! Home Design Architectural Series 18 FAQ
Punch! Professional Home Design Suite FAQ
Punch! Professional Home Design Suite Platinum FAQ
Punch! Super Home Suite FAQ
Punch! Home Design Complete FAQ
General Punch! FAQs
What are the System Settings that I need to know?
What does "LB" and "SB" mean when ordering?
How do I find the pre-installed plans?
Where can I find plans for the house on the box front?
Can I speed up the performance of the program?
Can the software print to a plotter?
Can I look directly down on the 3D floor plan, no angle?
When I add a window or door, why can't I see through it?
How do you get to the second floor in 3D LiveView?
Does Punch! Software run on XP? ME? NT? 2000?
Does your software run on a MAC?
Error - 3DR failed to load 3DR
Error - GPF in Module OpenGL32.dll
Why is half of the LiveView window black? How fix that?
Why does my display sometimes go black?
How do I check on the status of my rebate?
What is a UPC?
I can't find the serial number. Where is it?
Important System Settings
Some of your computer’s settings can impact the software's efficiency. By changing one (or more) of these settings, you can control how the program performs.
- Set your Display Settings to 800x600 pixels and High Color (24-bit) or True Color (32-bit). On your Start menu, select Settings>Control Panel>Display>Settings.
- If you notice that the 3D display is not clear, set back the Graphics Acceleration. On your Start menu, select Settings>Control Panels> System>Performance>Graphics, then set the acceleration back one notch.
- By default, all measurements display in Inches, to choose Centimeters go to Design>Unit of Measure... select Metric.
What does "LB" and "SB" mean when ordering?
Due to retail shelf space requirements, some Punch! products are packaged in two different box sizes - Large Box (LB) and Small Box (SB), each version with its own unique product number. You may see these designations when ordering our products from certain retailers. Please note that the package contents are identical for any of our products offered regardless of LB or SB-notated packaging.
Display Settings
All Punch! Software programs are designed to run effectively based on the system requirements printed on the software packaging. However, there are some specific settings you can select to obtain the best display possible.
- To adjust your display settings
- On the Start menu, click Settings, Control Panel. The Control Panel program group is displayed.
- Double-click Display. The Display Properties dialog box is displayed.
- Click to the Settings page tab.
- In the Colors drop-down list box, make sure your settings are at least High Color (24-bit) or True Color (32-bit).
- In the Screen Area section, move the slider to display at least 800 x 600 pixels.
- Click OK. The new window settings are applied. You may be prompted to restart your computer to apply the new settings. If so, click OK or Yes.
Where are the plans for the house on the front of the box?
The houses on the covers of most of our boxes are photos purchased from a stock photo listing. We do not have any of the plans or any further information on these homes.
How do I find the pre-installed plans?
All Punch! programs ship with 20 pre-drawn plans. They are filed in a folder called "Plans" which resides in the directory with the Punch! program.
To access these plans:
- Launch the Punch! Program.
- On the File Menu, click Open.
- Now, here's where it gets interesting ... because when you click Open, the program, by default, will look in the "My Documents" directory. You will need to navigate to where your Punch! Program is filed. Like "C" drive, "Program Files", "Punch" directory... or if you customized the installation, maybe "C" drive, "Punch" directory.
- In the Punch Directory, you will find a subdirectory called "Plans". This is the folder that contains the pre-drawn plans. Double-click the folder to open it.
- Double-click the plan you want to load.
Can I speed up the performance of the program?
You can "Speed Up" the program by changing some of the program's default settings.
- Close the LiveView window when you are not working in 3D. No 3D calculations are performed when the LiveView window is closed.
- Choose the Quarter-View window size for LiveView instead of Full-View to increase 3D rendering speed. 3D rendering speed increases as the LiveView window becomes smaller in size.
- Set your Display Screen Settings to 16-bit, 65,000 colors for optimum 3D rendering speed.
- You don't have to wait for a 3D view to render every time. Just click the mouse in the LiveView window to interrupt rendering.
- Hide the floors that are not being drawn. By turning off the inactive floors, the program will not waste resources on them.
- Turn off shadow rendering.
Will it work with Windows NT, ME, XP, etc.?
Yes, all Punch! Software titles are compatible with Windows NT, ME, XP, 2000, and so on.
I added a window, but I can't see through it. Why?
This is caused when there are two walls in the same space. The window or door has been applied to one wall, but as you look through it, you see another wall. Delete a wall and apply the door or window again.
I keep getting an error message that says "3DR failed to load 3DR Error", how do I fix it?
To fix this error you will need to lower the graphics acceleration of your computer.
To do this:
- Right click the My Computer icon on your desktop.
- Click Properties on the pop-up menu.
- Click Performance on the Screen Properties menu.
- Click the Graphics button.
- Click & Drag the tab from Full (or whatever the current setting is) to None.
- Click OK, then OK.
You will be prompted to reboot your computer.
When I open a full LiveView window, half of the window is black. How do I fix that?
The half-black full LiveView image issue is due to the way Windows 2000 handles OpenGL content. It is most common on computers running the Windows2000 operating system that have video cards with less than 32MB of RAM. Note: Video RAM differs from system RAM.
To check the video RAM:
- Click the Start button, then click Settings, then click Control Panel.
- Double click Display.
- Click the Settings Tab, then click the Advanced button.
- Click the tab titled Adapter. Locate the Memory section. This will display the amount of memory your video card has. Please assure your video card has at least 32MB of RAM when using Punch! Software on Windows 2000.
If your video card has 32MB or greater, let's check the color resolution.
- Click the Start button, then click Settings, then click Control Panel.
- Double click Display.
- Click the Settings Tab, then locate Colors.
- At a minimum, your video card should be set to 16 bit high color (no lower). But, your Punch! Software will perform better if you set the resolution to 24 bit high color (if applicable) or 32 bit high color.
In addition, for the best performance you should make sure you have the latest OpenGL drivers and video card drivers installed.
Can the software print to a plotter?
All Punch programs allow you to print your drawings to any size or tile to any size that a Windows-compatible printer or plotter will support. Our software prints tiled sheets from most standard size printers, allowing you to paste together a large to scale drawing (if you don't have a plotter). Be sure you have the most current printer drivers installed for your particular printer or plotter.
Can I look directly down on the 3D floor plan, not at an angle?
Although you can look down into your design at an angle in Fly-Through mode, you cannot actually look straight down into your design.
Does your software run on a MAC?
Punch! Software is designed to run in a Windows environment. At this point, we have no plans to offer packages for the MAC.
How do you get to the second floor in 3D LiveView?
The right mouse button controls the viewing altitude. While in either Fly-Through or Walk-Around mode, hold the right mouse button down to change altitude.
My AGP Voodoo3 video card causes a "GPF in Module OpenGL32.dll" error. What is wrong?
...or... I see hatching or triangulation in the 3D LiveView window. What is wrong?
Punch! Software uses a Windows system component called OpenGL, which takes full advantage of video card acceleration, if available on your video card. Some video cards take "short cuts" when accelerating OpenGL, which can be problematic. If you experience display problems such as hatching or triangulation in the 3D view, etc. it is most likely caused by the video card's accelerator. Confirm that the Display Colors are set to 24 or 32-bit color mode (NOT 16-bit) and set the video acceleration to "None". Also, be sure to download the latest version of your video card's driver software from your video card mfr's website. Due to so many system configurations, contacting your OEM or video card manufacturer is the most efficient way to resolve this conflict. If you experience a GPF in the OpenGL32.gll module, first try the above solutions, and lastly contact your video card manufacturer for video-card specific information on disabling the 3D rendering or "shadowing" within your system bios.
My display sometimes goes black when working in the program. Is there a fix for this?
Driver updates for certain video boards which may be causing the problem are available at http://www.glsetup.com. This site includes web-enabled update software to determine the drivers on your computer and if needed, update them via internet connection. It is suggested that you read all the information provided, including the FAQ section. Since the information and update software is third-party based, Punch! Software LLC cannot assume any responsibility or liability for its use.
Where is my rebate?
If you kept a photocopy of your rebate submission, you'll find contact info for the rebate fulfillment company on this form. Please contact them directly regarding your rebate.
If you didn't keep copies, here's the contact info for the rebate fulfillment companies we use:
TCA -- 1-800-390-2344 or check online at www.wheresmyrebate.com.
What is a UPC code?
The UPC is the bar code printed on the bottom of the box. This is typically what is scanned at the cash register when you make a purchase.
Where is the serial number?
The serial number is located on the back of the CD jewel case or is on the confirmation e-Mail that you received upon purchasing your software via directly downloading off of the Punch! Software Web site.
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